


Perion High

by raltsy



Category: Borderlands, TFTBL - Fandom, Tales from the Borderlands - Fandom, borderlands 2 - Fandom
Genre: F/F, F/M, Fluff, M/M, POV Third Person, POV switch, Physical Disability, Slow Build, Timothy Lawrence - Freeform, abusive parents warning, and then hardcore smut, more ships will build as i think of them, nisha and timothy will be really cute just hear me out, rhack - Freeform, rhack city bitch, ten twenties, well i mean i will try
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-23
Updated: 2015-10-08
Packaged: 2018-04-16 19:05:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4636806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raltsy/pseuds/raltsy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rhys starts his first day of his new Highschool, Perion High, and quickly finds himself the new plaything for the King Of The School- Jack.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Welcome To Highschool Kiddos!

-Rhys-

"Hurry up or you're going to be late sweetie!"

Rhys awoke in panic as a strong reality came crashing down on him. It was his first day of his new school, Perion High and boy was he nervous. He had moved to the bustling town of Haven, it was a big town sure but no where near as giant as the concrete jungle that made up his old city that went by the name of Elpis. His mother had thought the move would be necessary, as Elpis held too many bad memories. It had been where his father had died, car accident. Rhys was in it too, and lost an arm in the process. He didn't complain, it just made things like dressing himself slightly more difficult, but he was always up for a challenge. A few days after they had moved in, Rhys' mother Andrea suggested bringing over a cake to the next door neighbour, to which Rhys groaned at. "I heard they have a son your age, he might be cute honey!" His mother had always accepted him for who he was, and it made life a lot easier. Rhys was still bitter over his last relationship with a girl that lived in the city, it hadn't ended well. He brought over the cake anyway and handed it to the boy. He guessed he was cute, in that nerdy way, but not really his type. As in return for the cake, the boy-Vaughn agreed to show him around the school on his first day, so Rhys rushed down the stairs and slung his bag over his shoulder before he kissed his mothers cheek and ran out the door. Vaughn was standing there just about to knock before he grinned sheepishly and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Good morning Rhys!" He chirped "Ready for your first day?"

"Uh, ready as I'll ever be I guess." Rhys combed his hand through his hair as he made an attempt to sound optimistic.

"You sure you want to go with that outfit man?" Vaughn glanced up to Rhys' shirt and raised his eyebrow. The height difference was massive, and Rhys was loving it.

"Aw, what's wrong with what I'm wearing?" He pouted.

"It's just uh, a tie? Seriously? You don't need to be that formal man, and take off the vest, c'mon now."

"Vaughn I'm not changing. I think my style will class up this school...or something."

"Alright, it's your funeral." He shrugged and started walking down the path.

"Hey Vaughn, do you think people will make fun of me, for...you know." Rhys glanced at his bundled up sleeve, right arm only a memory now, and sighed.

"No, no! Well maybe Ja- no! No one will. I mean I think. I mean that would be a pretty asshole thing to do. But the people I hang with? No way, you'll be okay as long as you stick close."

Rhys appreciated that Vaughn was trying, so he smiled and started following him up the path. They lived pretty close to the school, so they didn't need to worry about a ride, but after seeing the rows of beautiful cars covering the parking lot of the school, he felt a little homesick. He had a car back at Elpis but it had to be sold to pay for moving fees, plus, driving would be way too difficult now. There were students everywhere surrounding the halls, and he felt all eyes burning into his arm, or lack of. He looked down and went to walk up to his locker, but somebody was leaning on it.

"Let's just come back to your locker later Rhys." Vaughn whispered and tugged at his side.

"I have to get in there Vaughn, my time table is in there. I'll just ask him nicely to move over. It'll be fine." Rhys assured him and made his way over. The guy leaning on it was tall and lanky- he had one arm behind his back and against Rhys' locker at the other one cupped in a girls' cheek. She looked like she was enjoying it and Rhys could understand why. He was a good looking guy, she was a good looking girl. They were a good looking couple.

"Rhys no seriously do not talk to him that guy is Ja-"

It was too late, Rhys had already made himself known.

"Uh, excuse me." Rhys gulped. Yep, all confidence had gone. The guy turned to him and looked Rhys straight in the eyes. His left eye was blue, and his right eye was green, and Rhys decided they were rather pretty before he quickly returned to focus on the matter at hand. He looked Rhys up and down quickly before he smirked and removed his hand from the girls cheek.

"Hey, I haven't seen you before, what's your name?" His speech pattern was strange, each word got louder towards the end, each letter spoken with a suave confidence that Rhys had always searched for in himself.

"I u-uh. My name is Rhys. And...and you're in the way of my locker, and I would like to get into my locker. So I mean if you could move, like just a tiny bit out of the way, that would be uh...great." Rhys voice kept losing and finding its volume as the guy traced his face with his eyes. God those eyes were pretty.

"Reeze was it? Well listen here cupcake, because I'm only going to say this once. The name is Jack, kiddo, and I'm the king of this school. So I don't move for anyone, not even a pretty face."

"It's Rhys. R H Y S, and I really need to get in there sorry, my timetable is in there." He was fumbling with his words now, and that compliment wasn't helping his case.

"Oh just give him a break hon. It's the kids first day." Came a sultry voice. It was that girl who Jack was holding. She had shoulder length hair that flipped at the ends and she wore a bit too much makeup for Rhys to get into, but nonetheless gorgeous. Plus she was being nice to him, so he thanked her with a small nervous smile.

"Mox the kid can figure it out himself, let his short dweeb show him around or something, I'm not moving."

The girl huffed, frowned at him and stormed off.

"Chicks, eh?" Jack chuckled, moving slightly out of the way of the locker. Rhys didn't bother to thank him as he opened his locker and checked inside. He picked up his time table and looked over it before Jack came up behind him and yanked it out of his hand. Rhys stayed silent but just sighed deeply, frustrated.

"Oh it's your lucky day pumpkin. We have English together, right now. Oop, and science."

"Great." Rhys deadpanned.

"Oh, it looks like we have different English classes." Vaughn chimed in, keeping his distance from Jack. Great, now his guide was leaving him. "Oh! But we have math straight after that! I'll meet you here after English so we can walk to class together. See you man!"

"Wait, you didn't show me where my English class was." Too late, Vaughn had already bolted as fast away from Jack as possible. Rhys sighed again, completely forgetting that Jack was basically pressing against his back until he felt a hard slap land on his shoulder. He let out a small yelp before he could catch himself and instantly felt embarrassed.

"Guess I'm your new guide, hm? Just follow me kiddo, it's not that far."

Rhys grumbled and followed Jack down the hall, he felt awkward and shitty and his shoulder was already starting to bruise but he felt privileged to be shown to class by the so called "king of the school." He resented Jack for calling him "kiddo" though. Rhys was eighteen in December, so he was hardly a child, and Jack wouldn't be much older, he thought. As they walked through the hall and made their way to class Rhys could feel all eyes on him, but instead of embarrassment, he almost felt prideful, like he was better than everyone. He turned to Jack and grinned.

"So uh, thank you for walking me to class."

Rhys got shot a death glare and instantly regretted his words. The next thing he knew, Jack had shoved him against a nearby locker and pressed his wrist to his neck, holding him there. The nearby students fled instantly to their classes. So much for help.

"Let's make something very clear kid." He pressed his wrist harder into Rhys throat and Rhys gasped for air.

"I'm not doing this to be nice. I'm not nice. Not to you, not to my girlfriend, not to anyone. I'm not a nice guy. So the sooner you realise that, the safer you will be. Got it?"

Rhys nodded to the best of his ability and Jack let go. Rhys grabbed his own throat and made sure he was still in one piece as he caught his breath.

"Alright babe. Let's get to class, don't wanna be late on your first day do we?"


	2. New Friends, Stupid Tie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhys makes more friends! Considers burning his clothes in the process.

-Rhys- 

English class was boring. The teacher, Roland or something kept droning on about the history of poetry. He was a nice enough guy, serious but good natured. Rhys had studied the classmates throughout the lesson after he awkwardly introduced himself, an introduction where while he was telling everyone why he moved, somebody yelled out "How'd you lose your arm?" He knew this would happen, so he was prepared and answered as least irritated as he could muster. The question had come from a girl up the back, Nisha he thinks her name was? She was sitting up the back with Jack, who- Rhys had taken his advice and sat as far away from as possible. He remembered Jack looking irritated with Nisha after she had asked- not like he was looking at Jack, or anything. He noticed a few interesting people in his class: The girl who sat at the very front, answering every one of Roland's questions. She had a shaggy red pixie cut with highlighted tips and weird tattoos down her arm. Nisha, an angry looking girl who pretended she wasn't interested in Jacks advances the entire lesson. A blonde guy with a nose ring who Rhys thought could pass for an easy seven. A weird guy sitting in the corner of the classroom who seemed way too old to be there, who looked like he showed up to class drunk, and a girl with purple hair who sat next to Rhys and refused to pull her hoodie down, even when the teacher dared to ask her. Rhys found out her name was Athena, it suited her. When the bell finally rang after what seemed like forever, Rhys grabbed his books as fast as humanly possible with one arm, and ran out of the room, making sure to leave before Jack could speak to him again, or make a comment on how slow he was. He threw his hand through his hair again, almost dropping books in the process and felt a wave of calm wash over him as his saw Vaughn walking up to to greet him. 

"Hey buddy! How was your first class?" 

Rhys glanced to his side where Jack was walking out of the classroom, arm over Nishas shoulder and glaring at Rhys. He quickly turned back to Vaughn. 

"Uh, it was okay. Weirdest thing happened before class though." 

"Please don't tell me you got on Jacks' bad side Rhys." 

They started walking down the hall again and Rhys grabbed a textbook out of his locker, which-thankfully, wasn't occupied this time.

"Well, he was showing me to the English class, I thanked him and he, well he kind of shoved me against a locker and almost choked me to death." Rhys just shrugged and put away his English books.

"Wait, he showed you to your class? Like walked you there?" Vaughn looked honestly shocked, like he thought someone was about to slap him, and maybe they would at this school.

"Well, that's what I thought, but he assured me he wasn't." 

"But, he totally was right?" 

Rhys just shrugged, closed his locker and started walking again. 

"Right, well this is the class. 24B, let's go in. You can sit next to me if you want." Vaughn grinned, proudly strutting into class. 

"Well I don't have many choices here." Rhys whispered, closely following behind. They were the only ones in class so far, asides from some strange looking kid who was sitting across from them who Rhys didn't realize was there until Vaughn introduced them. 

"Rhys! This is Zero. He sits with us at lunch."

"Oh. Hello." Strange name he thought, but still greeted him as friendly as possible. The guy just nodded and kinda-grunted in response. 

"He's not a big talker." Vaughn awkwardly chuckled, hand over mouth as he leaned over to whisper it to him, Zero obviously seeing the action, shrugged and pulled out a book on haiku's. Rhys expected not to hear from him for the rest of the lesson, and he ended up being correct on the theory. 

As more people moseyed their way into the class room over the next fifteen minutes, Rhys could start to notice some familiar faces from his English class: The guy with the nose ring again, eyed off Rhys the entire lesson and he definitely decided he wouldn't wear a tie again. There was also a few others he hadn't seen before, but looked interesting enough: A girl with tattoos exactly like Lilth's, but she had blue hair and looked slightly older, and Moxxi, she was sitting up the front, head down in the textbook all lesson. Rhys wanted to say hi, but decided on not doing that as she looked too focused, or out of it, or sad, he couldn't pin point it. The teacher was okay, kind of pompous but knew his stuff. His name was Hammerlock and preferred his students called him sir. He didn't call Rhys up to introduce himself, which he appreciated. Rhys was always pretty good at maths, but his real talent shone in business class, which he had first up tomorrow, and was incredibly excited for. The bell rang and he and Vaughn left the classroom and made their way to the cafeteria, Zero was following behind them, nose still in the book as they weaved through the busy halls. Rhys wondered how he stayed so focused, maybe one day he would ask. They got their food from the nice lunch lady who kept making Rhys blush by calling him a cutie pie and adding more apple pie to his plate. He liked her, she had a small tattoo of a heart on her chest which she said reminded her of her mother as she stacked what seemed like three buckets of meat onto Vaughns tray. Rhys didn't question when Vaughn asked for more, he was afraid to. Zero got a single apple, and they made their way to an uncomfortable looking, crowded table. 

Rhys just stood there awkwardly as he could hear Vaughn clearing his throat to introduce him. All the faces looked up from their lunch trays and Rhys instantly recognized Athena, but the others were alien to him.  
"Guys...this is Rhys."  
"The company man?" Athena finally spoke, glancing at his tie as a girl beside her sniggered. That's it. He would go home and burn the tie.  
"Right, let me introduce you to everyone." Vaughn quickly changed the subject, and Rhys blessed him for that.  
"This is Athena."  
"Yeah we've met." Came from her before she dug into her pasta bake again.  
"Okay...This is Gaige."  
"Konichiwa! Hey, I thought I was the special one around here!" Gaige laughed as she raised up her hand to reveal one sleeve bunched up, just like Rhys'. Gaige had fiery red hair and a constantly hyper attitude, he could see them getting along, especially with the arm thing.  
"This is Sasha." Vaughn gestured to the short girl who was sitting next to Athena, the one that laughed at the tie thing. She didn't say anything in return, just waved at him and stuffed some of Athena's pasta bake into her mouth.  
"And you've already met Zero, so that only leaves one more person to meet, but I'm not sure where he is yet. Here, take a seat." Vaughn smiled and made room for them to sit. He thanked him, carefully squished between Vaughn and Zero, and went to take a bite of his crumble before he looked up and dropped his fork, splattering the dish all over his shirt.  
"Vaughn.. oh my god I'm dead. He knows I've told you he helped me. Vaughn he's coming right this way and he's going to kill me."  
"Who, Jack?" Vaughn mumbled between chews.  
"Yes! Wait, why the hell did he change, is that normal here? Can we just change clothes whenever? Because if so then I am definitely throwing a tee shirt on, do you have a shirt I could borrow? I mean I guess it should probably be a nice one, you know, for my funeral because he is literally coming right this way Vaughn and he is going to murder me."  
Athena just chuckled under her breath as Jack pulled up beside her and sat down, right across from Rhys as he looked him up and down before flashing a wide grin.  
"Hey, haven't seen you before right? I think I would've remembered you. Uh, you've got something on your shirt I think."  
Rhys stopped functioning entirely. They were all playing a joke on him, he knew making friends that quickly wasn't to be trusted. What baffled Rhys most however was Jack's new choice of outfit. An oversized knitted sweater and skinny jeans? He wouldn't have pictured Jack the type. Rhys looked to his shirt and went red faced, which really wasn't helping. Jack paused for a moment and then opened his eyes wide, looking shocked for a moment.  
"Oh, wait! You've met him already haven't you?" Jacks voice sounded strange, almost caring this time round.  
He could see Vaughn nod out the corner of his eye.  
"Okay, that explains the fear. Alright . Hey, I'm Jacks identical twin.It's weird, I know. It's great to meet you, the name is Timothy. Timothy Lawrence."


	3. Seriously?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new job awaits, full of opportunity!

-Rhys-

 

The rest of the day had gone by quickly, well as quickly as a day could do with food stains down your shirt. Rhys didn't have any other classes with Jack that day, which he decided to be a good thing. When he walked home with Vaughn they agreed on him picking up Rhys the same time tomorrow morning, and parted ways. He was thankful Vaughn had been kind to him and introduced him to everyone, it helped him settle in. 

 

"Hey mom." 

She was watching some weird informercial when he came through the door.

"Oh hey honey!" Getting up she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed. "How was your first day?" 

"It was okay I guess. Met a few new friends, Vaughn helped out a lot."

 

"Well that's great sweetie, did anybody catch your eye? Oh- I think you've got a bit of food here." Licking her thumb she started scrubbing at his shirt until he gently pushed her hand away, causing her to frown. 

Rhys instantly thought of Jack. 

"I don't know yet, it's only the first day." He sighed, making his way up the stairs. "Is it okay if I walk around the area for a bit? Vaughn tells me there's a local diner around, and I want to try for a job there." He asked, head poking out from the top of the stairs to give his mother the best puppy dog eyes he could. 

 

"A job? Uhm, are you sure you can handle one?" He looked instantly to his bundled sleeve. Wincing at her choice of words, she apologised quickly. 

 

"Yeah I'll be fine. God it's not that hard mom, I'm not a liability. I'm trying so hard." His voice broke off at the end, genuinely upset. Not much got to him, but this somehow did. 

"I know sweetie. Of course you can go. We still friends?" 

Rhys smiled, nodded, and walked into his room. 

 

He wasn't really okay. Some days were harder on him, and he guessed this was one of those days. He sighed, louder than intended and took off his shirt, vest, and tie to the best of his ability. Throwing them in a wash-bin he sat on his bed and poked at his stomach, to which it responded with a large growl. He would definitely be getting a meal from the diner before asking for a job. It would be just his luck to be asked an extremely difficult question only for his stomach to respond for him. He threw on a blue tee shirt and black skinny jeans before grabbing his wallet and heading down the stairs. His mother was no where to be seen, and he assumed she went into her room to nap. He grabbed a set of house keys on the counter and shoved them into his pockets before he wrote a note saying that he'd be back before seven o'clock, and made his way out the door. 

 

Haven was a pretty town, the large oak trees shadowed the old ranch style homes and pools were visible in almost every backyard. Everything had a fifties like feel to it, which Rhys enjoyed as he had made his way down the street. He considered inviting Vaughn to the diner with him, but let him be as he didn't want to drag him everywhere. He would be okay finding the it on his own, it wouldn't be too far. After about ten minutes of walking, Rhys stopped in front of a teal coloured building which had a flashing sign above it. 

"Helios hm? What is up with all the strange names around here?" He muttered to himself, a vice which he really wished he had kicked by now. It was getting pretty cold, and he now kind of missed his old outfit, but he shrugged it off and made his way inside, the welcoming feel of a nearby heater embracing him. 

 

The diner accompanied the town, a strong classic- checkered tiled type place fit with a milkshake machine and jukebox. There were barstools lining the counter and booths hugging the windows. He wasn't sure how to order so he walked up to the waitress behind the counter and she grinned at him. 

 

"Rhys! Hey man, what can I getcha?" Gaige was standing there, positively beaming as she held an order book in her hand. She was wearing a pinstripe apron, and was chewing a large wad of gum, so after she spoke, she blew a bubble and it popped- adding to the entire fifties vibe. 

"Oh good, it's you. This makes things a lot easier. You guys hiring?" 

She chuckled, placing the menu down and leaned against the counter.

"As a matter of fact we are. The boss is out at the moment, but he'll be here in half an hour. Why don't you have a seat, you hungry?"

"Starving, could I please see a menu?" 

She smirked and tapped at the board behind her, revealing a chalkboard menu with thirty or so items on it. After looking over it for a while he decided on the pancakes and a strawberry milkshake. Gaige wrote his order down and handed it to a chef out the back. It was that silent guy from English class, the drunk looking guy who rocked a goatee. Gaige turned back to him and tilted her head a little, pigtail brushing against her shoulder. 

"So, what are you looking to do here?"

"Anything I can get really, I'm not a very good cook though, I'll be honest." Rhys awkwardly scratched at his neck, hoping that wouldn't cost him his job.

"Nah, that's fine. Mordy's got that covered anyway. We are in need of a waiter however, you think you'll be able to handle plates?" She asked, glancing at his arm. 

"I'm not a liability, I'll be okay." A calm tone to his voice as he shattered a little inside. Today was definitely not a good one. 

 

"I believe you, I know how it feels to get ridiculed for having only one arm. I just had to ask because I know the boss will." She sounded sincere, and Rhys could tell she'd been asked all the same questions.

 

"I understand." The silence filled the air for only a moment before the chef called out the order and Gaige grabbed it and placed it in front of him, it was a steaming pile of melted butter, syrup and ice cream on top of three fluffy pancakes. He inhaled the scent and hummed happily. The milkshake looked delicious too, complete with cherry on top and a striped straw. He dug in immediately, wasting no time as he didn't want the boss to show up while he was stuffing his face. He wanted to make the best impression possible. After his stomach ached from eating too fast he paid for the meal and tipped Gaige ten dollars, biting down on his cherry he saw Gaige shift in her spot and pat down her hair. 

"Oh, hello sir. How was your trip?" 

Showtime. Rhys cleared his throat and straightened his shirt. Swivelling around on his barstool he stood up and extended his hand.

"Good afternoon sir, I wanted to know if I would be able to inquire for a job here?" He stared down at the mans shoes, sneakers- expensive looking ones.

"Oh- ha-hey cupcake! Great to see you again." He looked up for the first time and gulped. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't seriously be happening. 

"Uh- Timothy?" He questioned, praying for any shimmer of hope to lighten the situation. 

 

"Wrong twin kiddo- good to see you've met him though, now what's this about you wanting to work for me?"


	4. The Interview

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack seriously makes Rhys uncomfortable, and it won't be the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey-o! Sorry this chapter is so short, I just thought that would be a good place to end it. Another one may be uploaded tonight if I get the time, but if not I'm really sorry! Thank you for all the comments and kudos!

-Jack- 

 

He took Rhys into the back of his office and watched him squirm in his place. This was brilliant, the kid was choking up. It wouldn't be the first time today, and that made him grin. 

"Why don't you take a seat, Rhys?" He emphasised his name, making sure to pronounce it just like he had told him, just obvious enough to make Rhys look up at him again. He had two brown eyes, the colour of burnt coffee, and Jack found them rather pretty, before he shook it off and smirked. Rhys did as he was told and took a seat, Jack following quickly behind, pulling up a seat behind his desk, facing Rhys and putting his feet up he stretched, the hem of his shirt lifting a little. He saw Rhys shift his eyes quickly to his hips and Jack leaned forward. This would be too easy. 

 

"So, you're probably wondering why a high school senior runs a local diner, right?" 

He didn't respond, just nodded softly and kept staring at Jack. It was a deep stare, full of something Jack couldn't place. It made him shift a little, but he kept staring back. 

"My father runs the restaurant chain and gifted me this one as a graduation present. Well I didn't graduate, but he didn't seem to care, so I'm still running the joint." He regretted revealing as much as he did when for a split second he could see sympathy in Rhys' eyes. He cleared his throat and changed the subject. 

"Why do you want to work here?" 

The kid finally spoke up, and it was most confident he had ever heard him. 

"See- uh, sir. It's just my mother and I, and the income isn't very stable, so I wanted to get a job to help out." 

 

He folded his hands together and pressed them against his lips, waiting for Rhys to continue, but he said nothing else. 

 

"When are you available?"

 

"Any afternoon after school until 8- oh, except Thursday's." 

 

"Why not Thursday's?" 

 

Rhys has shifted in his seat again, scratching at his leg. 

 

"I just can't do Thursday's, sorry." 

 

Jack respected his choices and let it be, which was new for him, and he didn't enjoy the feeling. 

 

"Right, you're hired." 

 

"Wait, you mean, just like that?" Rhys smiled a little with hopeful- doe-like eyes and Jack clenched his jaw. 

 

"Yep." Jack popped the "P" "You can start tomorrow." 

 

"Thank you, I won't let you down- sir." Rhys went to extend his hand again and this time he shook it, it was sweaty and warm, and made the exchange uncomfortable. The kid must have noticed Jack's facial expression change to one of slight annoyance, so he pulled away quickly and apologised. 

 

"It's fine, I get it, I make you nervous. Just don't call me sir, it annoys me. Call me Jack, alright?" 

He nodded and gulped. "Yes, Jack." 

 

Jack liked him saying his name, something froze in him for just a second when the word left his tongue, but it was long enough to make him worry. He quickly disregarded the feeling and returned to his regular demeanour. 

"Maybe call me sir sometimes, in front of other employees." 

 

"Can do." 

"Oh and before you go."

"Yes Jack?" 

 

Jack looked over Rhys and spun his chair around to face the wall. 

"Never-mind. You can go now." 

 

The door shut firmly behind him and he spun around again, shifting all his weight onto his hands he sighed against his desk.

"Well shit."


	5. Rainy Friday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhys dreams about Jack for the first time, and it annoys him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the late update guys! Have a lovely day everyone (:

-Rhys-

It was the first night of many he would dream about Jack.

He had woken in annoyance with tight boxers and a figurative Jack- hangover from the dream. He cursed his name aloud and it ricocheted off the wall, hitting him directly in the forehead. He got to his feet and pulled his blanket around him, it was a cold Friday morning and he wasn't prepared for it. He loved the cold, but just didn't like it when he had to get up from under his covers. It was raining outside and the scent of earth pushed at his windows. His house was located next to a forest, so tall pine branches slipped themselves through the cracks when he didn't keep his eyes on them. He slammed the window shut and they figuratively hissed before returning to the rest of the tree. Taking a deep breath, Rhys released the blanket from his grasp and ran into his connected bathroom. The wood creaked as large feet pounded and suffocated the floorboards. Maybe he shouldn't have gone to bed without a shirt, as morning Rhys was paying for it. 

 

His shower was quick, cold and painful. He wouldn't let himself think of Jack, he couldn't. He slipped on a grey pullover, black jeans and sneakers, and tried to slick back his hair to the best of his ability, but ended up settling for a half-slicked, half- messy look and walked down the stairs. He woke up early for school, he was excited. 

 

He ate his breakfast at a normal speed, which he was thankful for. It was eggs and bacon on toast, which his mother always made with just the right amount herbs. 

 

"It's a lot colder here than Elpis, we better get you some warmer clothes honey." His mother was munching on some toast, and reading the comics in the paper. It was nice seeing her smile. 

 

"Yeah, I'll get some this week. Oh, I got that job, at the diner." He tried to sound as relaxed as possible, but the bubble in his voice did him no favours. He loved being praised, and could never hide when he felt proud of himself.

 

She looked up from the newspaper and flashed him a grin. 

 

"No way, oh my god Rhys! That's fantastic!" She got up and squeezed him again, almost all breath leaving his body she finally let go. 

Rhys was about to gloat some more when a knock came from the front door. 

"Oh, I have to go now mom, love you!" He kissed her forehead and ran out the door, his mother waving behind him as she went back to her comics. 

 

"Goodmorning Vaughn!" He chirped, making his short friend awkwardly chuckle and step back a bit.

 

"You're in a good mood this morning." They started walking.

 

"I got a job, you're looking at the new face of Helios Cafe. Well- the new waiter." He put his hand on his hip, grinning, expecting praise, and then pouted when Vaughn only raised his eyebrow in response. 

 

"Doesn't Jack run that place?"

"Yeah, why?" 

"He, not trying to annoy you here man, but, he never hires guys to wait tables." Vaughn flinched a little, waiting for a punch, but relaxed when Rhys laughed and threw his head back. 

"Oh don't be ridiculous Vaughn, this is 2015, gender doesn't matter when you wait tables." 

 

"No, I know man, I'm all for that. I'm just letting you know, that Jack has never hired a guy to wait tables, and he goes through employees like days of the week. Doesn't that seem a little strange to you?" 

 

"No. Maybe he thinks I'll be a good worker." 

 

"For your sake, I hope so bro." Vaughn looked worried, and Rhys was determined to get more out of him. 

 

"Why? What do you mean by that? Why does he only hire female employees? Why do they all quit?" Rhys could see the school in the distance, and slowed down so Vaughn could spill what he knew.

 

Vaughn took a deep sigh and spoke.

 

"They don't quit Rhys, they all get fired. He does what he wants with them...and then they're out the door." 

 

Rhys covered his hand over his mouth and raised his eyebrows.

"You mean he- he-?"

Vaughn shook his head quickly and Rhys sighed in relief.

"No, no, god no! Jack is an asshole, but he is above that. He has a lot of admirers Rhys, and you've seen how girls- er people throw themselves at him." 

 

"Oh, okay. So what are you saying?" Their feet touched the parking lot and Rhys knew he had to be quick.

 

"I'm just saying, don't throw yourself at him bro!" Vaughn laughed, Sasha walking up to him and dragging him to class with her. "See you in math!"

 

Rhys walked into the school and frowned. Why would he throw himself at that. That..self absorbed, over confident, well dressed, pretty faced-

 

"Cupcake!" 

 

Rhys felt his knees wobble and his throat drown in butterflies. 

 

"Hey Jack."

 

Jack slapped his shoulder again, slightly softer this time around, and flashed Rhys a grin. 

 

"Good morning dickcheese, have any good dreams?"

 

He flinched for a moment, praying that Jack couldn't read his mind and gulped. 

 

"Ah, no. No dreams. How about you?" Jack started walking down the hall and Rhys followed him, confused on the entire conversation. 

 

"I don't dream kid, never have. They take up too much time, ya know?" 

 

"Err, sure." 

 

"This guy gets it." Jack paused and slammed his hand down on a locker, making nearby students scram. "What class you got first pumpkin?" 

 

Rhys just stood there, open jawed as Jack scrounged through his own locker. There were strange things that Rhys couldn't identify in there, but he did spot a cowboy hat. He remembered Jack had asked him a question and snapped out of it. 

"Uhh, business class. With Professor Nakayama." Rhys had spent almost all night studying his timetable, and it had successfully imprinted in his brain. 

"Oh what do you know, we have the same class again. I'll walk you there." 

 

Rhys didn't move, didn't believe what he was hearing. Jack noticed.

"Hey, I have to get to know my new employee don't I? We can talk on the way." 

 

He carefully followed beside him, waiting any moment to be thrown against a locker. But, he never was. 

 

They arrived in class and Rhys instantly felt uncomfortable. Jack pulled up a seat next to him and watched his every move. He didn't recognise any one in the room, which didn't help either, and the entire lesson the teacher kept staring at Jack, a dreamy look on his eyes as he set homework for everyone but him. Rhys was glad when the bell rang. The only thing Jack talked about the entire lesson was how Rhys should do his job, what he should wear and what he would be paid. He didn't really mind, he just liked listening to him talk, the subject interested him, as working always did. He missed his old job working at a coffee shop, but a diner was the next best thing. 

 

Math was pretty fun. Rhys got to know Zero better and found out his was really into poetry and katanas. He only responded in grunts and sighs, but he was okay with it. Rhys was good at making conversation. It was time for lunch and Rhys made his way to the cafeteria with Zero and Vaughn. Making sure to pack his own lunch that day he sat down at the table and began to dig in, Vaughn and Zero were still waiting in the lunch line, so he took a moment to enjoy himself and leaned back to relax. 

 

"Hey Rhys!" He opened his eyes quickly, snapping back to reality at the sound of Jacks' voice. When he looked up a kind smile was facing him.

 

"Uhhh.." Was all Rhys could manage to say.

 

"It's Timothy." He laughed. "Sorry." 

 

"Oh yeah, sorry. It's still a little weird for me. I mean you've even got the same pretty eyes- I mean strange eyes...because they're different colours...and stuff." 

 

"Riiiight." He just kind of shifted in his spot and cleared his throat. Rhys scratched his neck and changed the subject. 

 

"So...what class do you have next?" 

 

"Robotics class." 

 

"Oh no way, I have that too!" Rhys smiled at Timothy and Timothy smiled right back. "Is it a fun class?" 

"Yeah, it really is. This term we are actually making a real life robot which we can take home and keep." 

 

"Awesome." Rhys grinned.

 

"Awesome." Timothy agreed.

 

"Awesome." A girl walked past with a groovy looking hat on, winking at the two of them.

 

"Who was that?" Rhys questioned.

 

"Oh that's Fiona, Sasha's older sister. She's the school captain." 

 

"Oh, cool. Does she sit with us?" 

 

"Some days, usually if Athena is here. She's a cool lady." 

 

Vaughn and Zero came over and sat at the table, happily munching away when Gaige, Athena, and Sasha eventually joined them. Rhys was having a genuinely good time, he filled everyone in on his story and how he lost his arm and they were all really understanding about it. Rhys was about to crack a joke when Gaige shushed him. 

"What was that for?" He grumbled.

"See those three girls walking this way?" Rhys went to turn around and Gaige grabbed his shoulder. "No no! Don't! That's too obvious, just like, glance out the corner of your eye or something. So he did, to the best of his ability, and saw three strange looking girls walking their way, and he recognised the red haired girl with tattoos down her arm from English, and the blue haired girl from math with the exact same tattoos, he had no idea who the third one was, she was dressed in all white with black hair- one side shaved, and she had tattoos to match the other two, but hers were red and puffy. 

 

"Yeah, what about them?" 

 

Gaige smiled dreamily. 

 

"They're The Sirens. It's what that call their group." Pointing over to the girl in white she sighed happily. "And that's Angel, their newest member." 

 

Rhys looked back over to Angel, who was staring straight at Gaige and blushing, before one of the other girls- the red haired one, said her name loudly to get her attention back again. 

 

"Soo.. That your girlfriend?" 

 

Vaughn quickly interjected by awkwardly coughing, it was too late, Gaige already started fuming. 

 

"Why? Why the hell would she be my girlfriend Rhys? You think I point out a girl and that automatically makes us girlfriends? Huh? Is that what you think?" Her words got louder as she carried on rambling. She kept looking back at Timothy, as if she was trying to explain herself. 

 

"No, that's not what I think. It's just the way Angel looked at you, it looked like she had a crush on you, that's all." Rhys voice was calm as possible, not a word had phased him.

 

"Oh." Her tone changed and her face went red. "You really think she has a crush on me?" 

Rhys just laughed and got up when the bell rang, waving goodbye to Gaige, him and Timothy made their way to Robotics class.


	6. Robotics Class

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Timothy wishes just once it was about him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tiny baby chapter to throw some feels and fluff your way!

-Timothy-

 

Had Rhys seriously said his eyes were pretty? He appreciated the compliment, even though he knew it was directed at Jack, which it usually was. He made his way to robotics class with Rhys and Gaige and they took their seats. Scooter arrived early, and looked incredibly excited when he greeted the class. 

 

"Good afternoon everyone, are y'all excited for this next task? Wait for it....you're building your own robot! How freaking cool is that?" He laughed and began writing instructions on the board.

 

"Yeah..you told us last week." Gaige giggled.

 

"Oh.." He looked slightly disheartened, but quickly jumped back to his regular attitude. "Well today you're actually starting on them so partner up! You're working in pairs." 

 

Timothy quickly looked to Gaige and Rhys flashed worry in his eyes when Gaige was about to ask Timothy to pair up. He sighed. 

"It's okay Gaige, go with Rhys. I'll find someone." Gaige agreed and he could feel Rhys thanking him with all body language possible. 

 

Great. Now he was alone on this. 

 

He hadn't really made friends with anyone else in class, they all didn't like him because they couldn't look past the fact he looked just like his twin. He couldn't help it, but he understood why people may have been scared to approach him. He decided he would work on it alone, as tough as it would be he would get through it just fine. It wouldn't be the first time anyway. He walked over to the spare parts and started picking up some interesting pieces from the scrap bin when a knock came from the door.

 

"Uuh excuse me. I moved classes, I'm in this one now." Came a familiar voice from behind him. He quickly turned to face it and almost lost his balance. Nisha was standing there, leaning against the door and wearing a tight white singlet and ripped jeans. Regaining his breath, Timothy did a quick nervous wave and Nisha smiled at him, making his knees weak. 

 

"Oh right, I almost forgot. Pair up with someone Nisha, we're making a robot." Came from Scooter, who casually led her into class. 

 

She walked straight up to Timothy and kissed his cheek, Rhys shot him a look of confusion, and Timothy's face flared up in crimson. 

 

"Hey babe, I had no idea you were into this sort of stuff." She traced her finger down his collar and he decided sitting down would be in his favour. 

 

"Uhhhhhh." Was all he could manage as he stared at her lips, his cheek burning up more every second they were absent. 

 

"Oh shit!" She whispered, taking a step back from him. "Sorry Tim, I thought you were Jack." 

 

Timothy sighed and grabbed some spare parts. It was always directed at Jack.


	7. Like a Fiddle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack is an asshole- no suprise there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update lovelies! I've had a really bad flu and napping seems the only thing I've been able to do.

 

-Rhys- 

 

Nervous, nervous, nervous. Rhys couldn't stand how nervous he was. On his way walking to the diner he had checked his outfit several times to make sure it was just what Jack had asked for. Yellow pullover, black pants, business shoes. Sure enough everything was perfect, but Rhys had to make sure it was. He needed for Jack to see he was trying. He needed to impress him. 

 

It was still raining so by the time he walked through the doors he was soaked. He shook a little and walked up the counter, ringing the bell for Gaige to pop out, but she didn't. 

 

"Oh, hello." She had a quiet voice, her greeting almost a murmur. It was the girl he saw earlier that day. Angel. 

 

"Hey." He gave her a kind smile as his wet fringe drooped over his forehead. 

 

"You're Rhys right? Jack told me about you, he'll be here at five o'clock, why don't you go take some customer orders while you wait for him? Just bring them over here and I'll hand them out back." She was being friendly with him, and he could see she was quite timid in the way she flicked her eyes around the room, mostly aiming them at the floor. 

 

"Thank you, where is Gaige by the way?" He didn't mean to sound harsh, but she shot him a sad look and he instantly felt guilty. 

 

"She doesn't work Friday's. It's her physical therapy day, you know, for her arm?" 

 

"Oh right of course." He felt bad so he left the scene, making his way to one of men sitting at the booth he took a deep breath and spoke.

 

"Hello, may I take your order?" 

 

The man grunted in response and Rhys gave a worried smile, eyebrows knitting together as he tried again. 

 

"If you want, I could show you the specials menu?" 

 

"Just get me a burger and coke." The man was sweaty and stunk of old cheese, Rhys nodded and moved away quickly. 

 

"Uh, burger please. Oh and a coke. For table.." He looked behind him. "Table thirteen." 

Angel nodded and wrote the order down and handed it to a guy out the back Rhys hadn't seen before. 

 

The next two hours played out the same. Rude customers mainly, some nice though. Rhys got fifteen dollars in tips which he was happy with. He was dry by this time so it made moving around easier. A lot of customers had stared at his arm, some in curiosity, and some in plain disgust. One small child asked him where it went, to which his mother smacked him over the head for. It was just something he would get used to, and he was okay with it. Rhys continued to peek at the clock until it hit five and he stood there waiting for Jack to burst through the door and compliment his outfit. But he didn't, and arrived fifteen minutes later, clothes soaked and slouching. Angel walked up to him, reaching out to comfort him but he pushed her away. She walked back behind the counter and sighed. Jack didn't even notice Rhys standing there, he just made his way to his office and slammed the door shut. Rhys started walking to it when Angel stopped him. 

 

"Rhys I really wouldn't do that." She sounded frightened. 

 

"I know, but I need to ask some questions about this job." 

 

She sighed and handed him some keys. "You'll need these, he always locks his door when he's like this." 

 

He thanked her and walked to his office. Luckily for him, for a Friday night it wasn't all that busy. He could thank the rain for it, he guessed. 

 

He knocked on the door but there wasn't any response, so he tried again, louder this time. Still nothing. He used the key and opened the door, to his surprise Jack had his head on the desk and a bottle of whiskey next to him. 

 

"Are you..drunk?" Rhys asked, alerting Jacks attention as his head shot up before he sighed, motioned for Rhys to close the door, and flopped his head down again. 

The door made a firm click as he did as instructed. 

"What if I am?" Jack mumbled, cheek pressed against the metal his voice sounded funny, and Rhys thought it was adorable, but quickly focussed on the issue again. 

 

"You know it's like five thirty right? Why are you drunk?" As Rhys got closer Jack didn't move from his spot, so he assumed he was safe and took a seat facing him. 

 

Jack raised up to meet Rhys' eyes and let out a giant sigh. Rhys noticed they were red and puffy, had he been crying? 

 

"Moxxi left me, okay? You happy? Happy you know everything now?" 

 

"Oh." Rhys muttered under his breath. Every part of him desired to leave the room then and there, but he didn't. "Why did she do that?" He hadn't meant to probe, but his curiosity got the better of him. 

 

Something flashed in Jacks' eyes and Rhys instantly knew he should not have asked. 

 

"She said..." He propped one arm on his desk and leaned his head against it. "I wasn't treating her right, can you believe that?" He looked straight into his eyes again but Rhys was too afraid to answer. Jack hurled the whiskey bottle at the wall and it made Rhys jump a little, but the liquid running down the wall didn't seem to bother Jack as he stood up and began shouting. 

 

"Because I fucking can't!" 

 

Rhys got up and hastily made his way over to Jack, careful to avoid any bits of glass that now littered the floor. 

 

"J-Jack you need to c-calm down." He placed his hand on Jacks' shoulder and his head snapped around to meet Rhys, the mix of fury, intoxication, and tears in his eyes. 

 

"I am calm! I am calm.." His voice broke off and he broke down, tears streaming down his face he cupped his hands in his face and lost it. Rhys considered calling in Angel but thought Jack wouldn't like her seeing him like this, so he began to rub his shoulder, a small sign of comfort was all he could think of. Rhys has never been good with crying people, he would usually just hug them, but in this case he thought it would be a bad idea, so a shoulder rub would have to do. 

 

"Rhys...?" Jack mumbled, removing his hands and looking straight into Rhys' eyes. 

 

Rhys gulped, a little unsure on either of their current moods. 

"Yeah?" 

 

"Do you think I'm a good kisser? Is that why she left me? Do you think she thinks I wasn't a good kisser? 

 

Rhys wasn't expecting this. He removed the hand from his shoulder and took a step back, face quickly burning up. 

"We-well I mean I wouldn't know Jack, we haven't...we haven't ki-kissed before." 

 

Jack took a step closer to Rhys and pushed down on his shoulder, just enough force that Rhys fell back into Jacks' office chair. Rhys tried to push himself up, but it was no use as Jack leaned over him. He could feel his breath on his neck and it sent shivers all over his body. He could feel himself start to get hard. Was this really happening? 

 

"Do you want to find out?" Jack whispered into his ear, filling his senses, his voice rattling, controlling his every movement and god damn it was fucking amazing. 

 

"I- uhg." A small moan escaped the back of his throat and Jack smirked.  
"Yes, I do." 

 

Jack began to lean in slowly and Rhys closed his eyes, preparing himself as he shifted his hips slightly higher, just enough to feel the first contact with the soft material of Jack's belt. Rhys parted his lips when a loud knock came from the door and Jack flew off of Rhys, quickly slicking his hair back and standing up straight.

 

"Yeah, come in." He grumbled. 

 

When Rhys finally did open his eyes, he sighed and saw Angel standing at the door, arms folded and tapping her foot. Was any of that real? He guessed he wouldn't know. She walked over to the whiskey bottle on the floor and muttered something under her breath before walking up to Jack. Rhys quickly spun the chair around just enough so she wouldn't see how tight his jeans had gotten. 

 

"Jack, did you really have to go throwing that? Seriously? What if you were hurt? Some customers were seriously freaked!" 

 

"Meh." Jack responded blandly. "Oh hey Rhys, have you met my little sister Angel? She's just a peach." 

 

"Yeah, we've been talking for awhile, wait- she's your sister?" 

 

"Guilty as charged." Angel giggled. "Okay, now please clean this up, I'm going back out. Be more careful next time." She shut the door and they were left alone again. 

 

"So..." Rhys smirked, trying to sound seductive as possible. "Where were we again?" 

 

"I think.." Jack raised his finger as if he was trying to remember something. "I think we were up to the part where you were cleaning up this damn mess kiddo. As that is your job. Oh- and get out of my chair would ya? Thanks pumpkin." 

 

Rhys pouted and stood up and moped to the side. "But uh, what about the- you know? The uh- the kiss thing?" 

 

"Hm, I don't recall." Jack sat back in his chair and kicked his feet up. 

 

"But!" Rhys protested. "You're drunk and- you wanted to kiss me and you were crying, and! And!" He didn't understand why he was getting so worked up about all this, but there he was, carrying on like a child who wasn't allowed dessert after dinner. 

 

"Woah woah woah cupcake. First off- I'm not drunk. You think all it takes is half a whiskey bottle to get me there? Psh. Secondly, even if I was- then you probably should've known that being drunk does not equal consent kiddo. Tsk tsk tsk. And thirdly- the crying? I'm not in drama class for nothing Rhys." Jack laughed and pulled out his phone and began to scroll through it. 

 

"So what? You were just playing me?" He snapped, face getting red from anger this time.

 

"Like a fiddle. Now start cleaning, would you?"

 

"Ugh- did Moxxi even leave you? Or was that a lie too?" Rhys didn't mean to sound so harsh, but it was too late.

 

Jack looked up from his phone.

"No- she did leave me. Please start cleaning now." 

 

Great. Now he would feel bad. 

 

Rhys grumbled and did his job as asked. He was still furious at Jack, sure, but he was more furious at himself for letting his heart jump whenever he caught Jack looking at him while he was cleaning, a look in his eyes Rhys hadn't seen before- and that's what worried him most.


	8. Tattoo Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angel tries to hide her Tattoos from her two brothers...it doesn't go well, or does it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm the worst omg I'm so sorry this is so late 
> 
>  
> 
> More Rhys POV coming soon but for now have some cute family stuff

-Angel-

 

She walked herself home and left Jack to lock up the diner. She had seen enough of him that night and decided going home without him would be just fine. 

 

She opened the door of the manor and sat her handbag and keys down on the table before carefully hanging her coat up on the rack. Her arm stung with flashes of pain and toxins and she seethed at the sight of her newly pressed tattoos. Her bothers hadn't seen them yet, and she was hoping it would stay that way. She ran up the stairs and decided to take her jacket off. It'd been a cold Friday night and by this point her jacket was freezing and she wanted to be rid of it as soon as possible. She went into her room and begin to slowly unravel the jacket from her body, Careful to be delicate enough not peel back the already bruising skin. As she was doing so, Timothy ran up behind her and squeezed her arms together in a hug. 

"There you are short stuff! I was worried sick about you, was it a hard day at work?" He sounded caring enough, but the force of his only gentle hands was enough to make Angel scream out in pain. He instantly removed his hand and apologised quickly.

 

"Oh shit! I'm so sorry! What's wrong, did I hurt you?" There was general panic in his eyes and Angel felt bad for making him feel guilty of something he did not mean to do.

 

"It's nothing sorry I… Just got a fright, that's all… Seriously don't worry about it,please." She quickly threw her jacket over her shoulders again but it was too late as Timothy already saw the beginning of ink running down her shoulder. 

 

"Angel what, what the hell is this? Angel! What. Is. This? Is this a tattoo? What the hell! Explain yourself!" His face was a mixture of rage and worry, and Angel found herself frightened of him, which was rare. 

 

"Tim, please don't worry about it."

 

"Who did it?" He grabbed her jacket now, placing it on the edge of her bed he walked to her balcony and opened the windows. The rain was still pouring, and he instantly got soaked, but Angel heard the snipping of scissors and Timothy returned to her, carrying a plant in his hand. Angel sat down on the edge of her bed and sighed, putting her arm out she looked up at her brother.

"It was Lilith and Maya- from your grade. They wanted me to be apart of their group...but the only way to get in is if you...had these." She winced as Timothy let out a frustrated sigh and applied aloe vera to her arm. The soothing gel of the plant covered her arm and she instantly felt better, remembering her situation- she looked up at Tim again who was busy smothering her arm in the stuff. 

 

"Dad's going to kill you kid." He sighed, reaching for some nearby bandages. 

 

"Dad's never here Tim, I'll be eighteen before he even glances at it." Her sadness was obvious in her voice- and he had noticed it straight away, dropping his angry tone he wrapped her arm in bandages. 

 

"Okay fine, but Jack will notice it, you know he will."

 

She started to panic, face scrunching up she began to sob. 

 

"Please don't tell Jack! Oh Tim please, please don't tell him!" Tears were streaming down her face and Tim stopped to wrap for a moment as he comforted her. 

 

"Oh Angel, don't cry- please. I'm not going to tell Jack anything."

 

"Tell me what?" He slumped in the doorway and slid down the arch slowly. "What are we not telling me?" 

 

Angel froze in her place and Tim covered her arm quickly with his body- it was too late however, as Jacks interest had already caught. 

 

"Hey sweetie." He kissed her forehead gently and sat next to her."What's the bandage for?" His voice was surprisingly calm, and that made Angel worry more.

 

"She just got a small chemical burn in science today- so I'm just fixing her up." Timothy reassured, wincing slightly at the feel of his sisters force gripping his back from nerves.

 

"Let me see, I've delt with these at work before. Unwrap the bandages and let me see Angel." He reached his hand out and she flinched, he noticed this however- and grabbed her hand quickly, unraveling the wrap himself before Tim could stop him. He paused for a long time- his eyes flicking up and down her ink. Her eyes widened as she sat there- being looked over and judged she signalled Timothy for help- but even he was panicking. 

 

"Well...that's a strange looking burn. Hm." He got up from her bed and walked back over to the doorway. Angel glanced over at her other brother, who was just as confused as she was. 

 

"Look kid, I don't care who gave that to you. If it's someone you care about, don't tell me- because I will wring their neck." He took a deep breath and continued. "Put plenty of aloe on the "burn" and make sure to keep it bandaged at work and around dad- if he ever shows up. I don't appreciate you lying to me though, watch you don't do that in the future, you too Tim. Night kids." 

 

He left the room and Angel sat there, looking at Tim as he did up her bandage again. 

 

"He's...in a good mood?" She questioned- still confused on what had happened. 

 

"Yeah, he's got a boyfriend or something." 

 

"What?" She gasped. Sure, Jack had a boyfriend before, but it was many years ago and it didn't go well. 

 

"Yeah.." He shrugged, yawning and stretching his hands behind neck. "It's that new kid at school- you work with him." 

 

"He's dating Rhys?" She was legitimately shocked.

 

"No, but he will be soon, he doesn't shut up about him, you know that. Anyway, I'm off to bed, night dork." He rustled her hair and walked out of the room, pleased with himself. She just pressed her hands to her face and sighed, pouting at the sharp sting in her arm. 

 

She hoped Gaige liked tattoos.


	9. And The Fiddle Played Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This should really be called sin™

-Rhys-

 

Rain again. Rhys was sick of it. He slumped down on his couch and threw his soggy boots to one side. They were his favourite pair, and now they were ruined because of the stupid weather. It was a Monday night, and Rhys had work in two hours. He had a wonderful weekend not seeing Jack for two days, well, physically of course. The fucker ran through his dreams every night to no avail. He loathed him, he could not stand the sight of him, he would punch him if he had the chance.

 

So why could he not stop thinking about him? 

 

He flicked through channels until something interested him. It was a documentary on cybernetic enchantments and how they were quickly being introduced into every day life. He thought about his arm for a moment before his phone buzzed in his pocket and he reached for it, a text message from an unknown number appeared.

 

"Hey cupcake, I need you to come in early tonight, Angel's not feeling well. So like- as soon as possible k?" 

 

Rhys frowned, not sure what to be more angry over, the fact that he had to start work early, or the fact Jack had somehow acquired his number. Probably the latter.

 

"Who gave you this number?"

 

A few moments later and another buzz came through.

 

"It's on your employee form dumbass. Don't flatter yourself, meet me outside in five, I'll drive you ." 

 

"How do you know where I live?!" 

A few seconds later Rhys sent another message.

 

"Right, nvm- employee form- c u in 5" 

 

He quickly changed Jack's contact number to "Jackass" and chuckled a little before running up the stairs to get dressed. He still hasn't got a proper work uniform yet so a black pullover and jeans would have to do, whatever- he was too pissed at his boss to make an effort. His mother was upstairs so he left her a quick note that he was working late and opened the front door to step outside. Rain had already soaked his shirt before Jack could pull up, and when he did- Rhys could hardly stand the sight. 

 

"Oh you've got to be fucking kidding me..." He muttered as Jack pulled off a helmet swiftly and shook his hair in the rain. Seriously? Could he get any more vain? He was wearing a leather jacket, fit with tight jeans and a motorcycle helmet. His hair quickly became wet- and he could see the leather bouncing off every raindrop that hit his shoulders. He threw the helmet at Rhys to which he somehow caught, even after stumbling a bit. 

 

"You're not...seriously expecting me to ride on this with you- are you?"

 

"Hey cupcake, put on your helmet and hop behind me- we don't want you soaking wet now...or maybe it's too late for that?" 

Jack laughed and Rhys could feel goosebumps running throughout his body. Jack had a way of implanting his laugh so far into Rhys it felt like he was inside his head most of the time. He shook it off and placed the helmet on carefully, making sure not to mess with his wonderfully styled hair and he hopped on the seat behind Jack. Something burned his foot and he yelped, sending Jack laughing again and Rhys was glad he could not see him pouting into Jacks' leather jacket. The entire situation felt cliché and he hated it. Jack revved the engine and took off loudly- Rhys' instinct was to instantly grab onto him for safety- he released his hands for only a small moment before giving in and gripping around his waist. It was cold, raining and if saving his own life meant clinging on to Jack's waist as they sped down the quiet street, Rhys would have to live with that. 

 

The diner was quiet, more so than usual. There was one, maybe two customers at the counter- if you counted the police officer getting up for the door after leaving a tip under his plate. Jack shook himself down and hung his jacket up on the coat rack. Rhys was soaking, but had no spare clothes, much to his dismay, so he wrapped his arm around himself and said hey to the chef. A bleak nod was his response as he went back to the kitchen and turned off the grill. 

 

"Thanks for serving for a bit Mordecai, I know you hate people." Jack turned to the tip under the plate and pocketed it, to which Rhys answered with a disgusted look on his face.

"What? He's just going to spend it all on booze." He muttered, walking to his office and unlocking the door. 

 

Rhys sighed and made his way to the office, still shivering he watched the rain drops slide down the windows and race each other to the bottom. The sound of rain tapping on the roof was muffled, but still loud enough to calm him. The other customer got up and brought his plate over to the counter, thanking the chef- Mordecai took the plate and the customer walked out the door- muttering something about the rain as he went. The cold air ran up Rhys' spins and he pouted- shivering as he opened the door to Jacks' office he went inside. 

 

"What do you want kid?" Jack mumbled, flicking through his phone and occasionally chuckling at the odd photo. 

 

"I wanted to know why I am here. On shift." Rhys noticed a heater in the room and shifted his eyes back to Jack. 

 

"Because..." Jack grabbed a nearby remote and turned the heater on. "Angel is sick. I already said why you're here cupcake. We needed you." 

 

"Jack there is no one here. It's empty, and it's only going to get more quiet." 

 

He sighed at his desk and Rhys moved closer to the heater. 

 

"Find something to do in the meantime." 

 

Rhys blew at a wet hair that dropped on his forehead and he took a seat. 

 

"What are you doing?" Jack put his phone down and raised his eyebrows. 

 

"Why don't we get to know each other?" Rhys asked confidently- but a sudden rush of fear overcame him and he shrunk in his chair a little. 

 

There was a long pause. 

 

"I have a better idea." Jack got up from his seat and made his way to Rhys. 

 

"How about..." He placed his hands either side of him again, and Rhys could feel goosebumps rising up his neck. "We continue where we left off?" 

 

Jack leaned in close and he could feel his breath against his neck. He shuddered and tried desperately to not get excited, it didn't work- He knew Jack knew when a massive smirk painted his face. 

 

Rhys was crazy.

Rhys took chances.

Rhys didn't know what he was doing.

 

Rhys kissed him, a small peck, just quickly on Jack's lips before he felt two firm hands grip him and throw him back into the chair.

 

"Listen here pumpkin." Jack was angry now, his words were almost growls. "You do not play me- you do not touch me. You're cocky aren't you? Know this- don't be, not around me. You are my employee, and you need to learn that." Jack bit down on his shoulder and Rhys let out a small yelp. It was quickly replaced with a soft moan and heavy breathing when Jack began to suck at his neck, grinding his teeth against Rhys skin he could feel blood rising from his veins. Rhys tried to wiggle his hand free to touch Jack's hair, to grab him, anywhere- he just needed to touch him, but it was pinned tightly by Jack and Rhys... Rhys was loving it. Suddenly everything was over, the pain, the ecstasy, the moaning- all over in a matter of seconds. Jack moved back to his desk, wiping his mouth and Rhys was still sitting there, exhaling heavily. 

 

"You are mine. Now get out of my office and do some work." 

 

Rhys got up, walking over to Jack's desk he slammed his hands down. 

 

"No. We're not done here."


	10. Not Yours To Own

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhys shows some gall- Jack likes it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tiny baby chapter! Sorry!! I'll make it up to you in the next one promise.

-Rhys-

 

"I said we are done. Get out."

 

Rhys grabbed Jack by his collar and grinned. 

 

"Listen here asshole. You can fire me right now, I don't care, I'll find another job. I'd like to stay here, really I would. But if you think for even a second that you own me- that I am property to you, I will walk out this second. You can brand me all you want, but until I say so- I belong to nobody." He let go of his scruff and took a step back. His sweater was almost dry now, and his heart was furious. Jack had pushed him, and he couldn't stand it anymore. 

 

Jack just sat there for a moment, his face glazed with confusion, and Rhys became worried when he smirked. His smirk grew and grew until a fat grin sat on his face and Rhys backed away a little, finding himself afraid before Jack grabbed his arm and pulled Rhys onto his hips. 

 

"Cupcake..." He cooed, bringing his hand up to Rhys' cheek and stroking it softly. "I didn't know you had it in you." 

 

"Had...what in me?" Rhys melted under his fingertips, his anger was dulled, the ecstasy had returned. He was somewhere else now. 

 

"You've got fire kid. I like it." 

 

Rhys sighed, his head lopping to one side as Jack played with his hair. 

 

"You're soaked. Why don't you take off your sweater?" 

 

The tone from his voice was nice enough, but Rhys snapped from his daze and jumped off Jack clumsily, nearly falling to the floor he scattered towards the wall. 

 

"N-no..it's okay. I'm...going to go serve someone now." 

 

Jack sighed, holding his hand out for Rhys, he took it and stood up.

 

"Right, yeah. You probably should, sorry about the sweater thing...I didn't mean to...uh...?"

 

Rhys backed against the door and felt around until he grabbed the doorknob and began to twist it. 

 

"Jack?"

 

He looked up from his desk. "Yeah?"

 

"Why are you being so nice to be?" 

 

He looked back down as Rhys left the room.

 

"I don't know. Get out." 

 

He slammed the door and walked home, the customers could serve themselves, if there were any.


End file.
